Residents Text the Mayor Directly! ‘Yeongju Mayor Direct Text’ Gains Top Popularity with 110 Cases Received in a Month

A resident visiting Yeongju City Hall is sending a direct message to the mayor.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-sun] “It is very convenient because you can resolve civil complaints by sending just one text message without having to call or visit City Hall in person.”

Yeongju City in Gyeongbuk Province has introduced the ‘Direct Text Message Service to the Mayor’s Mobile Phone’ to immediately resolve residents’ inconveniences, and it has gained great popularity just one month after its launch.

The ‘Direct Text Message Service to the Mayor’s Mobile Phone’ is an online civil complaint and communication channel that simplifies the reception process as much as possible so that the mayor can directly listen to citizens’ inconveniences, grievances, and suggestions and promptly handle civil complaints.

Since its launch on the 12th of last month, 110 civil complaints have been received as of the 11th, one month after the service started.

These include 22 cases related to traffic and parking, 20 cases of environmental improvement, 13 cases of road improvement, 12 cases concerning residential environment, 9 simple inquiries, 8 policy proposals, 6 cases related to culture, tourism, and sports facilities, 6 cases of public safety, 5 cases of elderly welfare, 3 cases of system improvement, 3 cases related to agriculture, and 3 others.

Among the most frequently received traffic and parking complaints were issues closely related to daily life such as the installation of public parking lots, parking enforcement, city buses, and improvements to road medians.

Policy proposals included the development of the underdeveloped Sangmang-dong area, installation of a cable car on Sobaeksan Mountain, suggestions for a flower festival, and the creation of a pet park. Simple inquiries included questions about why there are many park golf courses on the Seocheon riverside, the automobile tax reduction system for the disabled, and procedures for shared use of city gas, totaling 9 cases.

The ‘Direct Text Message to the Mayor,’ which simplifies procedures to promptly handle citizens’ civil complaints, allows all processes from complaint reception to handling and notification of results to be conducted via text messages, enabling citizens to file complaints anytime regardless of weekday nights, weekends, or holidays.

The received complaints are checked daily by Mayor Park Nam-seo of Yeongju City. Responses are processed within 1 to 3 days during weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and complaints received on weekends (from Friday 6 p.m. to Sunday) are handled by Tuesday.

Park Mo (42, female), a resident of Gahung-dong, said, “Until now, whenever I applied for a civil complaint, I didn’t know which department was responsible, so I had to explain repeatedly over the phone, which was inconvenient, communication was poor, and it took a long time. It is very convenient to resolve daily life inconveniences easily with just one text message.”

Mayor Park Nam-seo of Yeongju City said, “We plan to promptly resolve citizens’ inconveniences through text messages and actively reflect sincere opinions on regional development in city administration. Without being bound by formalities, I will continue to be a mayor who leads direct communication, field-oriented, and innovative administration.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.